Vehicle-body.



PATENT ED JULY 17 E. DEMSKY & G. REDEGKER.

VEHICLE BODY.

APPLICATION FILED JULY a, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

xw MR W \Q a a i Ml l 3 a a w 0 i 7 f w W m M w No. 826,491.PATENTED'JULY 17, 1906.

E. DEMSKY & c. REDEGKER.

- VEHICLE BODY.

r ns NIRRIS PETERS co wA HINGTDN n c i INI- TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ENOCH DEMSKY AND CHARLES REDECKER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS TOMOON BROTHERS CARRIAGE COMPANY, OF ST.

LOUIS, MISSOURI,

A CORPORATION MISSOURI.

VEHICLE-BODY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

iatented July 17, 1906.

To all whom, it mag concern.-

Be it known that we, ENOCH DEMSKY and CHARLES RnnncKER, citizens of theUnited States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a new anduseful Vehicle-Body, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of vehicle-bodies; and itconsists of various improvements which are fully shown in theaccompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Previous efforts of manufacturers to produce a vehicle-body which willwithstand all variations of weather conditions and maintain a smooth andunbroken surface have, so far as known, met with failure. The panelshave usually been fastened in place by nails or screws or similarfastening devices, which pass through the panels, the heads of suchdevices usually resting in countersinks in the panels and being coveredover flush with the surface of the panel by plugs of various kinds. Suchexpedients are ineffective for permanent smoothness, and, as is wellknown, therigors of climatic variations have a telling efl'ect thereon,resulting eventually in a perceptible line of cleavage or demarcationbetween the panel and the plug, and finally the latter may drop out.In'any event the line of demarcation is unsightly and results in apermanent defacement which destroys the artistic finish of thevehicle-body.

Other eXpedients have been resorted tosuch, for instance, as dovetailingthe panels to the posts or uprights; but perfect fit is dlfficult tosecure, and especially so as the l ooves and tongues for each panel mustall e parallel in order to render possible the po sitioning of thepanels. Therefore, in view of the well-known fact that mostvehicle-bodies flare outward at the top and that the posts or uprightsmust also lean outward, it is in such cases impossible to make thedovetails on the posts or uprights parallel, and the inadequacy of thismethod of fastening the panels is evident.

V Staples or bent metal wedges are impracticable for various reasons,prominent among which is the fact that they could only bind the edges ofthe panel and the middle portion would war To avoid all the aforesaiddiificulties an to produce a strong, durable, and

adequate fastening device, one that can be used on all shapes ofvehicle-bodies, Whether flaring or not, and that efliciently binds thepanel at allnecessary places without in any manner defacing the exteriorsurface of the panels, is the obj eot of our resent invention. In theaccompanying awings, wherein our invention isillustrated, Figure 1 is aperspective View of a vehicle-body partially assembled, showing theapplication of our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section ofa panel and1post, showing the fastening attachment in p ace Fig. 3 is across-section of a panel and sill with the fastening device therein.Fig. 4 is a bottom view of a vehicle-body constructed in accordance withour invention. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views illustrative of the variousstages or steps passed through in the practice of our invention. 7

r The general principles of our invention are illustrated in Figs. 5, 6,and 7, wherein are shown two objects in the various stages from theirrelationas separate pieces until they are united and fastened together.-The fastoning member employed consists of a long piece of thin metal 1,provided on its edges with lateral arallel projections 2, the preferredform eing one in which the projections extend both ways, thereby formingan I-beam, which form is shown in the various figures of the drawings.The piece 3, of wood, and the piece 4, also of wood, Fig. 5, are to befastened together. In said piece 3 a saw kerf or groove 5 is formed, anda corresponding kerf or groove 6 is formed in the piece 4, the kerfs orgrooves being of substantially e ual depth and in width e ual to orslightly ess than the thickness of t e web of beam 1 and their combineddepth equal to the depth of the said beam 1. A coat of glue (showing at7 in Figs. 6 and 7 is then placed on one of the pieces, and they arethen brought together so that the .two kerfs or grooves 5 and 6register, thereby forming a single continuous passage-way as faras theyrun.- The pieces are then ready for the application of the fasteningmember comprising the flanged beam 1. Said beam is thereupon driven intothe passage-way formed by said kerfs or grooves, and the flanges 2 embedthemselves into the sides of said passage-way, asclearly shown in Fig.7, thereby firmly uniting the two pieces si ts in the formation ofregistering kerfs or grooves in the uprights and, if desired,in the silland the formation of registering kerfs or grooves in the panels, gluingthe panels onto the uprights and sills and driving the fastening devicesinto the passage-ways formed by the said kerfs or grooves.

As shown, the numeral 8 indicates the sill of the frame. 9 indicates thecorner posts or uprights, and 10 the uprights which are under the seat,the up er ends of the last-named uprights at each side being joined by abrace 1 1. :In the outer faces of the corner-uprights are formed kerfsor grooves 12, which may or may not extend throughout the lengththereof, and similar kerfs or grooves 13 are formed in the outer facesof the uprights 10, which are longer than those at the corners. I At theends of the panels15 kerfs or grooves 16 are formed in such positionthat they register with those in the corner-uprights when the panels areglued in position. Likewise kerfs or grooves 17 are formed in the innerfaces of the side panels across both pieces 15 and 15*, constitutingeach panel, in such position that they register with the kerfs orgrooves 13 in the uprights 10. At intervals along the sills 8 kerfs orgrooves 18 may be formed; but these should not extend entirely acrossthe outer face of the sills, but should leave the upper surface of thesills intact, so that moisture cannot enter. Similar registering kerfs19 are formed in the panels. Kerfs 20 are formed in the braces 11 andsimilar registering kerfs 21 in the upper portions 15 of the panels.

After the various kerfs or grooves have been formed glue is placed uponthe frame or upon the panels, and the panels are then placed inposition. If desired or found advantageous, the panels can be clampedand so held firmly in position until the entire body is finished or aslong as necessary. While so held long fastening devices 31, preferablyin I-beam form, as described, are driven into the passages formed by thekerfs 12 and 16 at the ends of the panels and also into'the passagesformed by the kerfs 13 and 17 at the center. The assage-ways, asheretofore described, shou d be smaller than the Ibearns, so that theywill bind firmly therein. The flanges 32 embed themselves in the wood.It is preferred that the fastening devices in the uprights shall extendthe full length thereof and also the full width of the panels, so thatthe latter will be firmly and securely held against warping; but, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, a shorter fastener may be driveninto each end of the passage-Way, and if too much'space be not left sucharrangement will suffice. By his system of fastening the panels it isapparent that the separate upper portions 15* will be more firmly,securely, and fixedly held in place on the main portion 15 than couldpossibly be by employing screws or nails or the like or even if thepanels were dovetailed onto the uprights.

In the passages 18 19 short fasteners are driven, as indicated at 22 inFig. 3. These do not extend all the way through the sills, but leave theupper surface of the sill unbroken, so that the panels fit flush againstthe upper edges of the sills all along, thereby forming a more perfectand an unbroken joint. In the passages 20 21 fasteners are also driven,as shown at 23 in Fig. 1, and by said fasteners 22 and 23 the edges ofthe side panels will be securely held. The lower edges of the end panelsare also held by fasteners 22, as shown in Fig. 4. Fasteners of thischaracter are vastly superior to nails, screws, or plugs, because thereis no defacement of the finished exterior of the panels.

and for the further reason that a contlnuous bond is formed as far asthe I-beams extend, and they may bemade to extend entirely across thepanels transversely of the grain thereof, so that warping is absolutelyimpossible. No shrinkage or loosening of the panels occurs, as sofrequently happens when simple dovetailing of the panels onto theuprights is the fastening method employed. All portions ofthe panelswill be held with equal rigidity against the uprights, and the loweredges are firmly bound by the short fasteners there. Moreover, in thepresent system of screwing the panels onto the frames several days arerequired in which to finish a vehicle-body; but by this method offastening the panels the entire body can be completed within a fewhours, thereby hastening the manufacture and enabling the manufacturerto produce a superior article in less time and at reduced cost.

We are aware that there may be variations or modifications from thedetails herein described without in the least departing from the spiritand scope of the invention, and we do not wish to be understood asrestricting ourselves to exact details; but,

Having described the invention, what we ITO do claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patinto said registering kerfs when said adhesivesubstance is pliable, the flanges of said locking member being embeddedinto both sides and near the bottoms of each kerf, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a vehicle-body construction, a post and a panel, each providedwith a registering kerf, and a flanged locking member I- shaped incross-section Whose de th is substantially equalto the combine saidregistering kerfs, said locking member being driven into the registeringker fs, the

depths of flanges thereof forming their own seats and being embeddedinto both sides and at the bottom of each kerf; substantially as de- 15scribed.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ENOOH DEMSKY. CHARLES REDEOKER. Witnesses:

FRANK J. MoOAsLIN. JOHN G. MOON.

